The present invention relates generally to automotive side impact protection and more particularly to automotive side impact protection utilizing an improved window glass design.
Automotive design is charged with the ever-increasing development of new and improved methods of protecting occupants. The desire to expand the range of situations that both vehicle and occupants can withstand has driven the development of a plurality of accessories that may be implemented upon a vehicle. One such area of development has centered on the use of airbag devices. Air-bag assemblies commonly operate by way of sensors that register vehicle impacts. In response to impacts of sufficient force and direction, airbags are inflated between the occupant and surrounding vehicle structures in order to minimize occupant injuries.
The success of front air-bag assemblies has resulted in the expansion of the technology into more diverse applications. Side impact air-bags, for example, have been developed as one of a variety of responses to the desire to minimize injuries from side impact collisions. These air-bag systems are commonly mounted within the vehicle door structure or adjoining areas such that their inflation positions the bag between the occupant and the vehicle door. Various automotive designs and subsequent occupant position/vehicle relationships result in a variety of side air-bag storage and deployment positions. One unique configuration arises in vehicles incorporating relative high occupant seating. These vehicles, often SUVs or mini-vans, are configured such that the occupant's shoulders rise above the beltline (lower edge of the window).
An impact of many of these configured vehicles is that deployment of the side air-bag results in the air-bag being positioned between the occupant's shoulder and the vehicle side-window. Side air-bag deployment scenarios, however, often result in the damage or fracture of the vehicle side-window due to impact or even air-bag deployment. In such situations, the air bag may not be optimally supported on the window deployment side at positions above the beltline in plane with the occupant's shoulder. This, in turn, may impact the optimal effectiveness of the deployed air-bag.
Improvements in effectiveness of the side air-bag may, in turn, be addressed by modifications of system design and configuration. Air-bag size and deployment volume may be modified to increase efficiency. Seat and window configuration may be modified such that relative passenger position is lowered or relative window beltline is raised. These solutions, however, present a significant impact on cost and design constraints. In addition, these modifications may run counter to additional design considerations such as passenger/driver viewing angles and field of view requirements. It would, therefore, be highly desirable to have an improved side air-bag system configuration that provided an increase in air-bag efficiency without large scale vehicle redesign considerations.